Last Night in Soho (2021)
Last Night in Soho
- 4/5 Cameras 🎥🎥🎥🎥
- Directed by: Edgar Wright
- Starring: Thomasin Mackenzie, Anya Taylor-Joy, Matt Smith, Diana Rigg, and Terrence Smith
- Where to find it: Buy or Rent on Amazon Prime
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Edgar Wright is one of my favourite directors. Known for quirky comedy which he masterfully blends with other genres to create brilliant, fast-paced, kinetic movies in my opinion he hasn’t put a foot wrong so far in his film career. Last Night in Soho marks him moving into new, darker territory; does his winning streak continue?
Last Night in Soho follows Eloise (Thomasin Mackenzie), a girl with a particular interest in 60’s music and culture from a small town in Cornwall where she lives with her Grandmother following her mother’s suicide when Eloise was young, who moves to London to pursue her dream of being a fashion designer. Still seeing her mother in the mirror sometimes, Eloise struggles to fit in with her new roommates so opts to leave to stop in a bedsit run by Ms. Collins (Diana Rigg). While there she begins to have dreams that seem to be showing real events from the 60s seeing Sandie (Anya Taylor-Joy) trying to become a singer with the help of Jack (Matt Smith). Things begin to take a dark turn as Eloise learns that 60s Soho might not have been as she pictured.
Worth saying immediately is that Edgar Wright has, for the first time I’d argue, fully abandoned comedy with this one. Sure there are a couple of funny lines here and there, but this is a dark, twisting psychological thriller closer to Suspiria, or Don’t Look Now than Hot Fuzz. I was unsure how Edgar Wright’s kinetic, fast-paced style and use of music would work in an entirely serious setting, but it works out quite brilliantly, with the juxtaposition of dark subject matter with the seemingly light-hearted playfulness of the music and camera work making for a twisted and unsettling fantasy. Credit must also go to cinematographer Chung-Hoon Chung who helps to create a gorgeous vision of what we all think the 60s should look like which is promptly torn away as Eloise unravels the mystery at the centre of the film. I’m not going to elaborate too much on the mystery to avoid spoiling the film but I found its twists and turns thoroughly good fun although I’d argue it loses a little of its lustre in the second half becoming perhaps a little too sensationalist. Also, there are a couple of computerised visuals in the later parts of the film that don’t quite work for me where I’d have preferred the makers to take a more subtle approach. I feel it wasn’t really as scary as I might have wanted, though that didn’t take away from my overall entertainment.
Thomasin Mackenzie gives a stellar performance in the lead role, with her character showing real growth through the film as she starts to lose herself to her visions. Anya Taylor-Joy as would-be 60s star Sandie who Eloise begins to associate herself with also gives an excellent performance, though her character would seem a little underwritten while Matt Smith manages to go from charming to terrifying with ease as Jack. Diana Rigg also stars in her final film role as the woman running the bedsit where Eloise is staying and manages to bow out on a high, and Terrence Stamp also gives a good account of himself as a mysterious older man who seems to be following Eloise in the present day. The final star of the film is the soundtrack, a quite brilliant mesh of 60s hits including a cover of ‘Downtown’ performed by Anya Taylor-Joy that really elevates the film, giving it life. I’m not sure there’s a director alive that can work a soundtrack into a film as well as Edgar Wright and the movie would fall flat without it.
Overall, as you can probably tell, I really enjoyed Last Night in Soho. Despite nailing its 60s setting, it ultimately reminds me more of films of 70’s films like The Wickerman, for how its plot steadily unwinds, or Deep Red for its visual flair and fun twists. Sure its second half doesn’t quite match its stellar first and it could stand to be a little scarier, but Last Night in Soho is ultimately thoroughly entertaining and well worth the watch.
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